


The Stranger

by TheBeautyOfTarth



Series: The Silent Sister [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2018-12-10 23:52:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11702454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeautyOfTarth/pseuds/TheBeautyOfTarth
Summary: Brienne joins the faith as a novice for the silent sisters but she'll soon find out devoting herself to the stranger was a mistake. Kings Landing is a place full of sinners, depraved, awful and corrupt men. Sooner than later she steps on the way of the most despising of them all, the Kingslayer.





	1. Tarth

**Author's Note:**

> I KNOW NOTHING. Brienne is actually the second child of Selwin Tarth according with a wiki of ice and fire (the spanish version) I sincerely do not remember if it Is specified in the books, if so please tell me BUT for now Brienne being the youngest child works for this story so bear with me, ok?

Both siblings were seated on the top of a cliff watching the sunset disappear ”Are you sure you want this dear sister?"

  
"I already told you Galladon, I am certain" Brienne replied tired of having the same argument with his brother every day fort the past fortnight. From the very moment she announced his dad and siblings her wish to join the faith his older brother had been trying to change her mind. His dad had tried too but he desisted when he saw the determination in her youngest daughter, He knew better than persist. “But..." his brother was the only one that didn’t approve, apparently "Stop Galladon. I made up my mind. You know this is for the best. besides king’s Landing is not that far away. it is alright, truly" she tried to reassure him

  
"No, it is not alright. I won't be able to see you again for a long while and next time we see each other we won’t even be able to speak" he said angrily

  
" _I_ might not be able to speak, but I will listen to you. Maybe I’ll be able to write occasionally a letter to you, father and sisters"

  
"Tell me again, why are you choosing this life for you Brienne? You have everything you need here, with us. Why don't you just stay?"

  
"Because you will wed soon enough. Father has indulged you so far but you must marry to make allegiances, have heirs and make Tarth stronger. Arianne and Alysanne just wedded and if I stay unmarried I'll bring shame to all of you, and to myself. There is not really a place here for me once you choose a bride"  
  
"If that's the case I just need to find you a suitable husband or better yet I will never get married then"

  
Brienne snorted "Don't be silly. No man has come to ask for my hand even with the dote father has offered” the grotesque appearance of the youngest daughter of Lord Selwyn was well known in all the noble houses of the Stormlands. Lord Renly had come to Tarth with an entourage of young high-born lords a few years ago so her father held a feast for the young prince. Soon they left but _Brienne the beauty_ stayed. “and for the other brilliant idea of yours, you must marry. It’s your duty as the first born and only male heir of the family”

  
"not if you and I run away to Essos and live like sellswords for the rest of our days" he said playfully. He knew Brienne craved to be a knight (and, sometimes, a princess even if she would never admit the later openly). They often played with wooden swords and pretended to save their sisters from an evil dragon when they were kids “can you imagine that? People will sing about the bravery and honor of the prodigious sibling-knights of Tarth for generations”

  
it was easy for Brienne to picture his brother and herself as a pair of hedge knights traveling together; from the great grass sea to the ruins of old Valyria, passing through Asshai by the shadow while protecting the weak and bringing justice to those in need. That idea brought a sad smile on her, she knew better than hope to be one of those knights in the songs. Knighthood was not meant for a woman, not even one as mannish and ugly as herself.

Not for the first time in her life Brienne wished to be born a male.

 

This world wasn’t kind with those with hideous looks nor freaks and she happened to be both.  "I wish we could brother but we need to fulfill our respective duties. You by marrying, me by not bringing shame to the family"

“If that is what worries you then just marry some son of a lesser lord or hells even a peasant and stay by my side. I couldn’t bear being separated from my little sister, you are my best friend”

“I can’t marry below my station and no lesser noble will have me. I have nothing to offer, I’m not pretty nor a delicate maid and besides I don’t want a husband that will just force me to act like a proper lady. Dad could not do it neither would a husband. I won’t deny it pains me to leave you, father and sisters but…”

  
"I can get you a suitable husband” Galladon interrupted “I will rebuild Morne* and grant you half Tarth to you and your descendants for eternity if necessary"  
  
"Only the king has such powers and you know it, but thank you. Even with lands of my own I probably couldn't marry. I know I’m not beautiful like our sisters"  
  
"You’re wrong Brienne, you _are_ beautiful. No matter what people tell you, don't you listen to them" he assured her. He was sincere, Brienne could tell, she was both thankful and frustrated his brother couldn’t see what people saw on her, what she really was: a tall, lumbering, ugly beast. "Thank you, brother"  
  
"Let’s make a deal, I will accompany you to Kingslanding and together we'll see what those silent sisters have in store for you. If something is not of your liking we come back home immediately"

  
"Dad won’t let you go" Lord Tarth wouldn’t tear his eyes apart from his heir, neither his daughters but it was noticeable who he favorited.

  
"He will if l tell dad I want to be in court for a while to choose a bride"

  
"Would you do that for me? I mean, it would be good having someone close at least the first months"

  
"There is nothing I wouldn't do for you freckles. Come on, father is probably waiting for us" Galladon stands up and helps Brienne get on her feet. His sister is as tall and broad of shoulders as him. He knows she is not like his other sisters in matters of physical appearance but she is as soft and delicate of hearth as Arianne and Alyssane. ‘ _there is still time for me to find her a suitable husband, someone worth of her’_ he thinks while mounting his horse.  


Brienne also climbed her mare and sighed heavily “It’d be better if I were a man. I’d just join the night's watch. I could even be close to uncle Endrew, even if he’s a distant relative he is still family”

"You don’t need distant relatives when you have me. I’ll protect you” He assured her

“And you me, Gal. We’ll protect each other” she insisted

“That’s right, Freckles. Now let's go, we need to speak with father"

Brienne smiled. She believed him.

 

\-------

Notes:

*[Morne: an ancient seat of an extinct house in the eastern shore of Tarth, it is now in ruins]


	2. King's Landing I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few clarifications:  
> 1\. For the propose of this story Brienne is the third daughter of Selwyn Tarth which makes her the fourth Tarth sibling and she is 17 years old approximately, Galladon is 21.  
> 2\. Silent sisters are supposed to take vows of silence, but there’s a part on the books (a feast for crows, Jaime I) were a group of them sing hymns, so I’m guessing silent sisters could somehow drop this vow by a justified reason (adoration of the seven)  
> 3\. I’m not native speaker so this will have lots of typos, misspellings (false cognates are the worst), grammar mistakes, etc.  
> 4\. the syntax and verbal tenses are not my strong suit when writing long stories so maybe the narration will change from one verbal tense to another, it could even change from third person to POV(ish)  
> there is probably going to be more clarifications on the next chapter

_Brienne_

As soon as she arrived to King’s Landing her hair was chopped short and her garments were exchanged for simpler ones, they were almost rags and too small for her tall, broad figure but soon Galladon was permitted to bring her new tailor-made robes as long as they were made as simple and plain as the ones she was previously given.

She now had been at the capital for three moons. Most of the days were dull to no end. Morning prayers followed by cleaning the sept from top to bottom and then more evening prayers. She was just a novice but she had the same restrictions as the other sisters. She could not speak, the only time and reason they were allowed to use their voices was to sing hymns at the sept and just at significant services. Brienne never liked to sing, her older sisters were better than her in that regard but now she appreciated an opportunity to use her voice, as sparse as it was.

She could not show her face either, they had a veil covering their features, except for the eyes and they had hoods covering her heads. Brienne did not mind hiding her face, neither covering her straw-like short hair, in fact it was a relief she could hide her ugliness behind the veil. It was a shame nothing could be done to conceal her tall, awkward figure.

She would never lay with a man nor bear children, could not have lands nor inherit titles. She would never own a single stag, cloak nor a proper bed. At the beginning, it had been difficult to sleep on the floor and eat plain meals accompanied with simple water. It made her realize how spoiled she really was and the experience made her feel grateful for what she had had back in Tarth. She longed to see her Father and sisters, she longed for her feather bed and a pleasant hot supper, but she had chosen this life for herself and could not recoil from it. So, each time his brother visited her she acted with content. She found out it was easier with a veil over her face.

At the beginning Galladon had come to the sept of Baelor to speak with her almost daily, even if she couldn't speak really. Now it had been a fortnight last time she saw her brother. Apparently, he was busy making acquaintance with the nobility of the capitol. She knew this would happen sooner or later, nonetheless she couldn’t help to be angry and disappointed to her brother for leaving her behind so soon.

Brienne was seated in a corner reading the Seven-Pointed Star _again_ when Septa Annaela entered the novices’ communal chambers and told them to get ready. There was a body that needed to be prepared and delivered to the altar of the stranger. Said body was waiting for them in the Red Keep, Brienne saw this as an opportunity to see her brother again.

This time the affair was quite simple, they would arrange the body of a high-born lord for his ceremony at the sept of Baelor so the arrangements just consisted on draining the body out of blood and removing the bowels to instead fill him with minerals and essences. For that she was relieved since the sisters often used some other disturbing methods. The first time she had to witness the work of the beetles, maggots and some other insects clean bones out of flesh she couldn’t help but empty the contents of her stomach. At that moment, she wanted to run back to Tarth. She even had nightmares where she could see her own inert body slowly being eaten by maggots.

Septa Laena mocked her and made her in charge of handling the bodies since she was big enough to do it without help. That day she had found out she was almost as useless on being a silent sister as much as being a lady. She would rather be a grave digger but the City was so overpopulated that it lacked a graveyard, therefore the commoners’ bodies had to be cleaned off the flesh and the bones were deposited in the communal crypts under the sept. Not the High born, they usually had their own urns if not their own crypts.  

Tarth has its own graveyard. It is on the top of a hill near Evenfall Hall, were her ancestors remains are deposited, were her mother rests. Brienne never knew her mother, she died giving birth to her, but she always heard stories from his dad and some servants who had known her well. She was fair of face and body, her sisters looked much like her some said. She was also very generous and forgiving. His father told her she was the one that reminded him of his wife the most _“you have your mothers heart”_ he told her once, when he was well on his cups. The only time the great Selwyn Tarth could talk of his dead wife. The only time he allowed himself to silently weep her loss.

Brienne mused the possibility of a life were her mother remained well and alive and could not help but think that maybe she could have been a proper lady with a loving mother to guide her instead of a spiteful, cruel septa. Then maybe she wouldn’t have to join the faith.

She followed Septa Annaela and the other sisters to the Red Keep.

 

_Jaime_

It was a sad day indeed. His uncle Tygett Lannister, his father’s brother had finally died of a rare sickness that got him in bed almost two moons. The maester had told them it was the bloody flux but the sickness had been far more consuming and prolonged. On his last days, it was said he did nothing but mumble unintelligible things.

Jaime, as son of Tywin Lannister, future Lord of Casterly Rock and nephew to the deceased was charged with the job of escorting his uncle’s remains back to the Westerlands to be placed on the family crypt after the ceremony. His aunt Darlessa and his cousin Tyrek were not in King’s Landing at the moment and could not be on time to come to escort the body. 

He would miss his uncle. He had been far more kind to him than his own father ever would be. He also was the first one to teach him how to wield a sword, a tender memory of his childhood. Tygett Lannister was a great swordsman and his aunt Genna always told him he fights like his uncle does - did. He had the sudden impulse to see his dear uncle one last time so he went to the room were his body laid waiting to be prepared for the service.

The room smelled heavily of aromatic herbs and the silent sisters were already cleaning his uncle’s mortal remains. The sisters stopped their ministrations and retreated once he crossed the threshold. He paid them no mind and stood before the broken body of his dear uncle. he now was unrecognizable, far too thinner than the last time he saw him. He was just bones and skin, his half-trimmed hair had gone all white, his skin was also almost as white as snow and his eyes were sunken. It had happened last night but he was already showing slightly signs of decay.

He stood there wishing he would have been a better nephew and at least had visited him sooner, when he was still alive. After a few minutes of watching a man he barely recognized his attention was in need to focus in something else. He started watching his surroundings for the first time, he barely acknowledged the septa and the four silent sisters in the chamber all waiting for him to go so they could get their work finished. However, one of the silent sisters caught his attention. The sister -if it was indeed a woman- was so tall and broad he thought her a man in female monk clothes but her eyes, (the only visible part of her, besides her hands) large lovely pools of azure, where clear indicators of her gender. with a last glance at his uncle’s remains he left the room to continue with his duties as Lord Commander of the City Watch. Soon he forgot about the unusual tall silent sister but the image of his uncle’s fragile lifeless body would always remain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brienne and Jaime finally see each other, well... kinda. Jaime’s past life and why he’s not a kingsguard will be explained on the next chapter.  
> I appreciate feedback <3


	3. King's Landing II

_Brienne_

She was helping to clean the body when a man entered the chamber. Ser Jaime Lannister, _the kingslayer_. She had seen the man from afar, when patrolling with the goldcloaks near the sept. It was undeniable he was one of the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes upon and it was also said he was the best swordsman in all the seven kingdoms. Maids sighed for him, boys wanted to be him, men looked at him with envy, whores showed him their breasts in hopes of having the privilege of laying with the most famous Lannister in King’s landing. No matter what, at the end of the day they all called him _kingslayer_ behind his back. He stayed for a few minutes contemplating the body. He even gave her and his surroundings a short glance but he left as soon as he had come.

After attending to the body, she hurried to a maid and handed her a piece of paper in which she asked to be guided to Lord Galladon Tarth chambers for he was her brother. The maid led her through the corridors of the Reed keep and stopped in front of a wooden door, vowed and left her there.

Brienne knocked the door one, two, three times but had no answer so she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The chamber was almost dark if not for one small window that allowed the sunset to light up the room a little. Galladon wasn’t there, but his sword, and gambeson were. After waiting for a while she got restless. Brienne’s hand ached to hold a sword, it had been so long since she last practiced. Almost without thinking, Brienne discarded her monk clothes and changed into his brother's tunic and leather, it was a relief to be able to wear breeches again.

Certain the darkness was almost there Brienne headed to the practice yard with his brother’s sword in hand.

Hitting something with the sword was relieving, almost therapeutic. Back in Tarth she often fancied the straw dummy was somebody she didn't like. Sometimes the faceless dummy was the son of the tailor, calling her a freak. The stormlands lord’s sons that mocked her at her own home. Sometimes it was septa Roelle calling her a disgrace. This time the face was septa Laena with her rude comments, sister Tanya with her disdainful looks, the man she saw the other day on the streets beating his own son bloody, the rich that didn't give charity to the poor in the entrance of the great sept, and finally his lying brother _‘I will come to see you every day’_ he had promised, but had deceived her. soon the dummy was replaced by a nearby thick wooden post.

"I wouldn't waste my sword like that If I were you. The edge will wear away very soon" Brienne jumped at the voice, she was so focused she didn’t notice someone was behind her. She stared at him afraid "Did the shadowcat eat your tongue boy?" it was the kingslayer again, she could recognize that golden mane and god-like face anywhere.

For the first time in her life she was glad she did not resemble a female. Never had Brienne being more thankful for her unfeminine appearance, her thick shoulders and short straw-like hair than at that moment. Finally, she noticed it had passed some uncomfortable seconds in silence, she was also gaping at him. She mustered all her courage and ended the awkward silence "So- ahem- sorry my Lord " her voice was hoarse with disuse but she tried to fake a graver tone nonetheless “I didn’t know you were... I’ll be on my way” She sheathed her sword and made to flee back her brother’s chambers.

"Wait, I need a practice partner would you mind?"

"I’m sorry Lord Commander but I have to go..." her voice was so alien to her by now, she wasn’t supposed to be talking but it was impossible to just ignore the kingslayer without getting into more trouble.

He stepped into her way "Come on, just for a little while. Don’t make me beg you" He spoke with a tone that didn’t give room for a negative answer

"As my lord commands. But I must warn you, I am not a match for you"

"Let me be the judge of that" she bowed, drew her sword and positioned herself

 

_Jaime_

Jaime tested the lad, circled him at first. He moved good, his footing was firm. Jaime delivered the first blow and was surprised to feel such strength in such a young lad. He couldn't distinguish his features well to the light of the moon but he knew he was barely a green boy by his slightly pitched voice. He was also immensely tall, he was at least his same height. It was impressive.

He landed some more blows faster and harder but his opponent blocked them all and managed to land some of his own. He had to grant the lad was strong and fast but Jaime was experienced. The sparring prolonged for several minutes, the lad was attacking him faster and harder than before forcing him to step back but soon his grimaces were giving the game away. Jaime recovered and made to hit his side to distract him but instead he kicked his chest making him lose his balance, he took advantage of it and landed a blow on his shoulder with the flat of his sword. The boy was in one knee trying to recover but Jaime put his sword on his throat

"Do you Yield?" the boy nodded.

For the first time, his big blue eyes were looking straight at him. There was something queer about them but his skills amused him the most "You are good lad. What is your name?"

"Ga-galladon of Tarth, my Lord"

"how many name days have you seen Galladon of Tarth?"

"Se- I mean, one and twenty my lord"

"That’s strange, you sound younger even if you look like half a giant. Haven't thought to join the gold cloaks Ser? It would be good to command someone with actual skills"

"I'm no Ser, my Lord. I'm just my father's son" the lad bent his head, preventing him of inspecting his face further. Apparently, the ground made an amusing sight for him.

"A Shame, let me know if someday you want to be more than that. Thank you for the fight" he vowed at his companion "It has been an honor my Lord" the lad returned the vow.

 

_Brienne_

She was still bowing when the kingslayer left the practice yard. The best swordsman in Westeros complimented _her_ skills and even offered a place under his command. The relief of resembling a man was short lived. It was a shame she was born a woman. If she were born a man then perhaps she could have become a knight, _If…if_.

Instead of swords and shields she was doomed to carry shrouds and incense, instead of gold and steel she was to wear grey and yellow until her last day.

She left the practice yard and went to her brother’s chambers.

 

_Galladon_

Galladon was escorting a young beautiful lady to the maidenvault and had forgotten about everything else. He even forgot about the fact he hated the capital. On it he had found a bustling place, full of people and noise, it was something new to him. He had never left Tarth and he was enjoying his trip. Back at home servants were always following him around. He couldn’t even sneeze without his father knowing it. But here, here was different, he was no one, and he enjoyed that feeling.

It was truth King’s Landing wasn’t as beautiful as Tarth. His home was a vibrant shade of green and blue, here it was all muddy-grey, but Excluding the smell, the more he spent on the capital the more he liked it. And the company was pleasant enough, since the day he arrived he was introduced to some of the Lords also hosted in the Red Keep -and their daughters-. At present, he was charged with the task of escorting lady Lynna to the maidenvault.

Lady Lynna stopped on her tracks "Lord commander” and curtsied “allow me to introduce you to...”

"Lady Lynna” the man bowed and directed his attention towards him “Galladon, you are fast”

"My lord?"

"To be young again!” he declared “you didn't break a sweat while I’m drenched on it and you still have energy to put on your finest tunic to escort young ladies" the kingslayer directed his companion a dashing smile that made her blush.

Galladon was puzzled by the kingslayer’s statement. He had seen the Lord Commander of the City Watch often in court but they had never been properly introduced before. He soon understood what was happening ‘ _Brienne. She must be on the red keep'_ he thought.

When they were kids, servants often declared they were very alike. Brienne liked to wear his clothes more than her own gowns and often fooled the small folk of Tarth by declaring herself Galladon. Until septa Roelle caught her doing it. The old bitter septa reprimanded her. His sister’s bruises lasted several days. That night he put milled insects in the septa’s food, though. He watched the old woman eat her food with satisfaction, his sister could hardly hold her laughter knowing what he had done to avenge her.

“Lord Galladon? Ser Jaime asked you a question” said lady Lynna “are you well?”

"Oh yes, sorry. I …uh, it would be an honor to spar with you again, Ser”

 

_Brienne_

The chamber’s door cracked open and the tall figure of her brother entered the room "Brienne?"  she stepped out of the dark corner she was hiding in “Seven hells freckles, what were you thinking dressing yourself as a man?” he said angrily “What if someone had noticed you were a woman and on top of that a novice from the silent sisters? Answer me, it's obvious you already broke your silence vow"

"Technically, i haven't say my vows yet" she offered

"No, but if someone finds out you talked being a silent sister even if you're just a novice... or worst if someone finds out you're a lady dressed like a man that almost bested the commander of the city watch that would be disastrous!"

"I didn't best him. I was far from that"

"That is not what he said"

"You met him"

"I did. We crossed paths when I was escorting Lady Lynna to her chambers”

“Lady Lynna? Lynna Selmy? I thought you were here to find a bride not to be a wet nurse”

“she’s most grown since the last time we saw her”

Brienne snorted “she must be what? Tree and ten?

“five and ten. But that’s not the matter at hand Freckles. We are talking about _you_ , a member of the silent sisters, wandering around the Red Keep in men garments”

“Novice” she corrected “I just went to the practice yard. It was dark and almost anyone saw me”

“And the kingslayer is almost _anyone_? how could you be so reckless? At least you should have warned me! The kingslayer could have caught us both” he sighed “But I don't think he suspects, I deceived him well enough. Can you imagine what would happen if such a dishonorable man like him had noticed?”

“We both be far from King’s Landing to never come back by now"

He scoffed “that’s if we are lucky. He says I’m amusing and wants to spar with me on the morrow again"

“what?”

“what do we do now? What if he notices something is off?”

“calm down Gal. We are equally tall. We were trained the same way, we have similar ways with a sword. Besides, we didn’t fight for long. he bested me easily enough, he won’t notice”

“Pray you are right little sister”

“I am” she smiled and kissed his brother on the cheek “I missed your voice little sis” he admitted “I missed it too” she said and her bother snorted “sleep well” She put her hood in place and left her brother’s chamber not noticing a figure hidden in the shadows, at the other side of the corridor, wearing a sharp smile upon his face 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know i promised i would explain Jaime's past this chapter but i had to cut this into two, it felt best to end this one right here. I'm halfway the next one so I hope to update very soon!


	4. King's Landing III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime receives troubling news. Cersei makes her entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mentions of Incest ahead  
> i also borrowed some dialogues from the Tv show and books

_Jaime_

“Good morrow, Lord Commander” the lad was already waiting for him in the practice yard. Jaime returned the greeting “Good morrow, Lord Galladon” and gave him a sharp smile “Follow me” the lad did as commanded. They soon arrived at the stables “it is a fine morning for riding outside the city. Ride with me” he took the reins of his horse from a stable boy and climbed on it, Galladon followed him suit. Both headed to the entrance of the red keep followed by some of Jaime’s men.

 “I been wondering why you are not yet a knight” Jaime questioned finally breaking the silence.

“I have never left Tarth, My Lord. Father wouldn’t send me to be fostered at another lord’s houses so I never truly learned how to be a squire. I never had the chance to be near a knight that wasn’t my master at arms or those serving my father”

“Why is that?”

“He doesn’t like the idea of me far from his sight. When I was a child I almost drowned, ever since that day he would not to let me go anywhere. It was difficult enough convincing him to let me come here but at the end he had to agree for I am here to choose a bride”

“I can see why. You are his heir after all. Do you have more siblings?” Jaime asked  

“Three younger sisters my Lord. Lady Arianne wedded to Lord Alyn Estermont, Lady Alysanne just married a cousin of Lord Errol, and my little sister the Lady Brienne.

“Is she married too?” Jaime tried to sound uninterested while he kept his eyes on the street

“No, not yet”

“Did she come with you to King’s Landing then?” at that question he examined the lad’s face. the boy was nervous, Jaime could tell. His answer prolonged for a few seconds “Y-yes my Lord”

_‘Of course, she is. The girl is a silent sister that fancies herself a knight and that cannot be’_

Jaime knew something was wrong when he had met the lad the night before, he seemed startled. It was obvious the boy did not know what was he talking about. Then, later on he saw her. It was a coincidence really, he was walking by the gests chambers when he saw a silent sister leaving a room. A tall, beast of a woman clad in monk’s clothes. A serving boy told him the chamber was Galladon’s. At first, he thought maybe the lad liked to dress like that because of the same reasons Renly likes cocks. Maybe he was going to a brothel and didn’t want to be recognized which was stupid because he was as tall and broad as an oak tree and his cover wasn’t very smart.

It amused him nonetheless. But just early this morrow his former Lord commander’s niece, the lady Lynna Selmy, had talked to him -more like he had talked to her- and complimented Galladon. He had been pleasant enough at supper last night, and had spent all the evening in her company she informed him. She also informed him he had a sister, a novice for the silent sisters he often visited.

The siblings were playing with fire and Jaime knew better than anyone those who play with fire often burn because of it “It would be a pleasure to meet her” he said courteously

The blood drained from Galladon’s face but soon recovered “As my Lord commands” and made a small vow. Jaime offered a polite smile and dropped the subject “Let’s ride past the Old gate. There is a clearing where we can spar without interruptions”

“Lead the way my Lord” the boy followed him.

He sparred with the lad. He was strong but he had not been as quick as his sister, he also lacked the passion he saw in her eyes the night before. That was the final confirmation.

OooooooooO

That night Jaime was summoned to his father’s solar. Tywin Lannister serves as Master of Laws for Robert on the capital at present but just provisionally. Despite of his temporal position on the small council, his father remains as one of the most powerful man in Westeros. Most believe he is the one truly ruling the seven kingdoms since king Robert is too busy drinking and whoring to even pay attention to his subjects. They are not mistaken. Half of Robert’s decrees and actions are influenced by his hand, Jon Arryn, and the other half by his father in law. Tywin is also the richest man in Westeros. Perhaps having under his control gold mines helps him have whichever power he wants.

Most of the Lords also consider his father relentless, severe and cold. He lives up to his reputation Jaime thinks. His grandfather, Tytos Lannister, almost caused the fall of his house due to his lenient actions, something that, later on, his own child would mark as a weakness of the worst sort. After the death of his grandfather, his sire ruled with an iron fist, regaining the pride of his House and earning the fear of most.  Such a reputation made him ack like a dignified Lord at every hour of the day, even to his own children. Tywin has never acted like a father Jaime considered, for him he was more like his Lord. Tywin’s children are his to command.

As he stood outside waiting to be called in he reflected that as a child father often summoned him to his solar just to scold him _‘this will be no different’_ Jaime thinks. He is finally called in. His father is seated at his oak writing table “sit”

“Father” he greets him and sits opposite of him. Tywin is busy writing something down and does not acknowledge his presence again until he’s finished. He then studies his son’s face for some unnerving instants and speaks “You are getting old, son” His words startle Jaime

“It is pleasant to see you too, Father. How are you this fine evening?” Jaime says with an insulted tone

“Enough of banters” Tywin scolds “The death of my dear brother made me think of the fragility of life, he was well and healthy and the next day he was sick. I though him strong enough and I was confident he would heal soon but he never left his sick bed. Someday I will die and so do you Jaime but the Lannister legacy will remain. Preferable through your own offspring. as my first-born son, it is time for you to start doing your duty as my heir. You need to sire lion cubs and to do so you need to wed as soon as possible”

“I find the task quite difficult at the moment father. I cannot neglect my duty to the city watch just to find a suitable wife”

Tywin stared at him with displeasure “You will escort my brother’s remains to Casterly rock but you won’t be coming back to the capital” Tywin paused “You’ll be dismissed as Lord Commander of the Gold cloaks and you’ll marry as soon as you find a suitable bride”

Jaime stood abruptly “You can’t do that!”

“I already did it” his father leaned back on his chair and tossed him a royal decree signed by Robert giving him leave as commander and thanking him for his years of service. Finally Cersei got rid of him “I don’t want you to feel I’m imposing my own will to you…”

“but you are” he could see the tedium in his father’s eyes

“therefore, I’ll let you decide which noble lady you prefer to wed. now, if you ask me I think you should consider the lady Margaery Tyrell, I would also suggest princess Arianne Martell since she is older and of a marriage age but I think that could be quite difficult considering our families not being in the best of terms... the Starks have two daughters as far as I recall but you would need to wait a few years before you could even be able to marry one of them. We don’t have a few years to spare”

“I haven’t said I agree father”

His sire stood abruptly “you can’t refuse Jaime! Lannisters don’t act like fools” he regained his composure and walked to a nearby window “Why are you still on the city watch son?” he questioned Jaime

“It’s my duty. I could not be a kingsguard for long but I still honor my vows by protecting the city”

“your duty” Jaime could only see his back but he could tell his father’s tone was mocking “you protect a city that hates you. When you hear them whispering _Kingslayer_ behind your back, doesn't it bother you?”

“Of course it bothers me” he admitted uncomfortable

His father turned to face him “You shouldn’t. The lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of the sheep” and continued “Your mother's dead. Before long I'll be dead. And you and your brother and your sister and all of her children. All of us dead, all of us rotting in the ground. It's the family name that lives on. It's all that lives on” hard eyes stared at him “Not your personal glory, not your honor, but family. Do you understand?” Jaime nods reluctantly “You don’t own anything to this city nor its inhabitants but you do have a debt to your family you must pay. You're blessed with abilities that few men possess. You are blessed to belong to the most powerful family in the kingdoms. And you are still blessed with youth, but not for long. And what have you done with these blessings? You've served as a glorified bodyguard for two kings, one a mad man, the other a drunk. Not satisfied with that you ended up as a simple guard of a city that loathes you. We need to establish a dynasty that will last another thousand years. Or we could collapse into nothing, as the Targaryens did” he got closer and held him by the shoulders “I need you to become the man you were always meant to be. Not next year. Not tomorrow. Now”

“I will tell you this once again. You will be escorting my brothers remains to Casterly Rock and you will stay there so you can learn how to run your own lands. You will marry a suitable woman, I don’t care who you chose as long as she is of noble birth, and of marriage age. you will father children named Lannister and you’ll never turn your back on your family again”

Jaime was mute, he knew he couldn’t defy his sire’s orders. If Tywin Lannister wanted it, it was as good as done. “you can go now” he sat and returned his attention to his letters making clear the conversation was over.

Jaime stormed out of his father’s solar. Tywin could never understand him. He didn’t walk too far when he ran into two soldiers and a kingsguard, behind them her sister was standing “Jaime”

“your grace” he bowed just for show. She was as lovely as always. Her silky hair was loose and her golden curls outlined her beautiful face, her skin was fair, her lips where inviting, her eyes as green as his own but colder.

“Leave us” se commanded to her escorts, they retreated just enough to give them some privacy. She got closer to him “I see father has informed you of your departure dear brother”

He wasn’t surprised she knew, she probably had instigated father and Robert to do it, but he was surprised she had come to seek him “yes, I’m to marry some dull lady and plant a child on her belly as fast as possible according to Father’s plans”

She smiled mischievously “I’ll miss you”

“I can wager you will” he said sardonically  

He had become a kingsguard just to be near his twin, near the woman he once loved, the woman he foolishly thought loved him back. But then Father sent her away once again and the war began. And as soon as it started it ended. Jaime had lost his honor in the process but could bear the spiteful looks and the names behind his back, _“oathbreaker” “kingslayer” “man without honor”,_ thanks to his sister and lover.

He realized they would never be free to love each other as they wanted. Tywin had bargained Cersei and she was made Robert’s bride and future queen. They could do nothing to prevent it so he asked her to run away with him but she called him a fool, she would not drop the opportunity of becoming the queen of the seven kingdoms. Her rejection hurt him, then she came to him the morning of her wedding, she convinced this was the best for them, and that she loved him and just him. He believed her. They fucked and laughed over Robert’s foolishness and then fucked some more.

Jaime had been present the day Joffrey was born. He would not leave her side even if the midwife insisted. He saw her hold their newborn baby to her breast, he saw the baby suckle at Cersei’s breast and his heart swelled with pride. The woman he loved had given him a boy but the joy was short lived. He could never acknowledge the baby. They were brother and sister. They were lovers, each other’s half, but she was Robert’s wife and queen.

Some years later he returned to the capital after a long trip to the Eyrie with the king. Eager to see his sister before Robert, he entered her chambers not caring for the guards’ protests. He saw her on the bed naked, a man he did not know taking her in all her four, like a bitch. She saw him standing at the door, her smile dropped. he fled before she could say anything. She did not seek him to clarify what he had seen.

Later on, he made to question or threat the right people for information. He was informed queen Cersei often had men visiting her on her private chambers. some were quick visits others not so much. She had had several lovers over the years and he had been too blind to notice.

Two weeks later she finally visited him. She even admitted his accusations. She told him they were nothing to her, mere tools under her orders. He was the one she loved “you dissuade people with actions brother, most of the time with sword in hand. I dissuade them to do as I will with actions of other kind” she explained him. She had lovers for the deeds Cersei knew Jaime would never do for her, poisoning, maiming, torturing, burning…worst of all, he would have done all of them if she had asked. He would have done everything for Cersei’s love.

She fucked him senseless and satisfied thinking she had made up to him, she left him laying on his bed.

Who said he wasn’t a simple tool too? Jaime thought.  

She _had_ used him. From the first moment, she had used him he reflected. She had seduced him so she could manage him as her pawn, always doing her deeds. She had a secret life he could not forgive nor forget. He had been fateful to her his entire life but had been repaid with treachery. He wondered if she mocked him with her lovers as they used to mock Robert.

He understood then she was not the Cersei he had fallen in love with those many years before. Jaime resolved never to play her games again. He convinced Ser Barristan Selmy to post different guards, trusted guards out of his sister’s chamber, soon she found herself isolated. It didn’t take long for her to convince Robert of stripping him off his white cloak, he was the first knight in the history of the kinsguard to be dismissed by his king. He suspected Cersei and Tywin convinced the drunken king to strip him off his position to instead give him a lesser honor, the command of the city watch. Who knew, maybe not even Robert was immune to her sister’s sweet cunt after all.

He resented Cersei even more for that but could not help to bury his cock between her legs each time she offered.

After that the only thing he knew was that each time she sought him she ended up seducing him and some time later a blonde baby with green eyes was born. He knew Joffrey was his, but he never asked about Myrcella and Tommen. Who knew, maybe some other of her lovers where also blond like him. He once asked her shortly after Tommen was born if he was the father “they all are mine, only mine” she answered. He never asked her again.

Was Joffrey even his to begin with? He reflected once

They had come to this world together and together they would die, she often told him. They belonged together, one person in two bodies, two halves of the same soul. She had repeated it until it was imprinted deep within his core, a mark he could never erase because he wanted it to be true. She had betrayed him but he could not bring himself to fully hate her, she was his sister, he was born loving her. He would always love her he feared.  

 

Five years had passed and he had managed to avoid her games, it had been hard but he had succeeded to keep away from her and her cunt for good.

“Maybe we could go to my chambers and drink some wine before you go” she got closer to him. She was playing her games again, he knew her well enough. He retreated “I’m sorry your grace. I have duties to attend to and little time now that I’m to leave for Casterly Rock”

“I insist you accompany me to dine” she said irritated “ _this_ could be the last time we see each other for a long while dear brother” she tried to persuade him once again

Jaime smiled sharply “I’m counting on that. Pleasant dreams your grace” He bowed and left. Cersei was raging.

OoooooO

After his brief encounter with his sister he dressed as a commoner and threw a worn brown cloak over him. Then exited the red keep by a hidden passage near the stables only few knew. He went to the only place that could distract him at present, the nearest brothel he knew.

He wasn’t proud of laying with a whore but ever since Cersei betrayed him-betrayed them- he sometimes seeks comfort in the arms of whores. all of them blonde, beautiful young women. All with green eyes.

Visiting brothels wasn’t a recurrence but occasionally Jaime indulged his carnal needs. It usually happened when he was most tempted to fuck her sister or when he was too angry to his twin he felt he could choke the life out of her with his bare hands, and right now he was both. She had finally stripped him of the little honor he had left, now that he was no longer lord commander of the gold cloaks.

By the time Jaime entered the brothel, the walk and the chill of the night had calmed his anger. He put a bag full of coins in front of the procuress “I want Calla” he knew this place was discreet if paid well, and it is well known Lannisters shit gold.

The round woman took the bag of gold and smiled “I’ll summon her for you m’lord” the woman called a boy “Oi, escort the man to Calla’s chamber” she ordered him and the boy obeyed and avoided to look the face of his mistress’ costumer.

The room was empty and he sat on the bed, he removed his boots and cloak. A few minutes later the girl entered the room. Calla was a beautiful young woman with lovely face, long dark-blonde hair, slim figure and perfectly rounded breasts. She looked like his sister when they were young and in love. When he was nothing more than a lovesick fool. Her smile was also lovely “is been a while m’lord” She came at him swaying her hips “has the work being stressful again?” she reminded him too much to Cersei and suddenly his anger came back.

“You talk too much” Jaime said infuriated. Her smile dropped but she disrobed and laid on the bed next to him despite of that.

He took her roughly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was more difficult to write than i expected. but i hope the relationship between Jaime and Cerse is clear enough. He knows he should hate her but still loves her despite of all she's done to him.  
> And if you guessed the figure in the shadows was indeed Jaime, congrats you were right. Jaime was supposed to suspect back when he encounters Galladon for the first time and the reader would immediatelly know he was the one watching Brienne leaving the chamber but i tought it would mess up the pov(ish) narration if done that way. My apologies if you thought it was someone else, im just a simple girl, i dont really have in mind characters plotting in each corner. This is set two years prior the events of ASOIAF.  
> And i must warn you right here, this is not an arranged marriage AU nor a marriage for convenience AU by any means. i can assure J x B will happen but this is really -and i mean really- slow burn.  
> as always, feedback is highly appreciated


	5. The Goldroad I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime and Brienne finally meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terribly sorry for the delay. Life has been very -and i mean very- complicated lately but i hope this short update will keep me writting so i'll update next chapter quicker

**Chapter 5 - The Goldroad I**

_Brienne_

Traveling out of King’s Landing was comforting. The smell wasn't foul anymore and the view was beautiful. They were still passing through the Blackwater rush, not as beautiful as the clear blue sea of Tarth but it was a welcomed change from the grime of the capital. The Goldroad was in good state and since it was still spring, and the roads weren't muddy by the rains the carts didn’t have much trouble to move along. The trip to Casterly Rock would be quick and with no delay. She will be far from the capital at least a moon’s turn not that she’ll miss being there, the only thing she would really miss will be her brother.

o0o

_“I’m leaving King’s Landing. I was sent to help some sisters to escort the body of a Lord back to his homeland. I’m going to Casterly Rock” she whispered_

_“What?” he spoke a little bit too loud for Brienne’s liking. Her brother had started to visit her again after what happened on the Red Keep and they were currently seated on a bench at the far back of the sept, they now whispered to each other, it was risky if someone caught her chatting with him so Galladon usually did most of the talking._

_“They will send you to the westerlands?” he whispered to confirm what he had just listened, Brienne nodded “Why? you haven’t even said your vows. You should be at King’s Landing where is safe, doing whatever novices do” Galladon said irritated_

_“They said I could learn from this trip so they’ll send me. Don’t worry, five sisters and a septa are coming too. We will be escorted by Lannister soldiers” in fact she did not want to tell him she was sent to this trip as a punishment, for what? She truly did not know but surely was just because septa Laena was not fond of her._

_Galladon sighed “when will you leave?” he asked_

_“the day after tomorrow”_

_“I’ll come to say goodbye” he promised_

_The night after her departure her sisters and she were hosted on the Red Keep so all the mourning party would start their travel on the early morrow. Brienne couldn’t resist the urge to dress up like her brother once more and head to the training yard._

_She ran into the kingslayer once again and once again she was defeated. Brienne was very impressed by the man’s skills on sword fight. He could be a vile man but she had to admit he knew how to fight. She understood then why people called him the best swordsman on the seven kingdoms._

_She supposed that as a Lord commander he could at least repay the city for all his past sins and it was also a way to keep what was left of his honor, which was already exceedingly questionable. Therefore, she was shocked when she saw him among the mourning party the next morrow. She listened from one of the soldiers the Kingslayer took his leave as the commander of the gold cloaks so he could go to Casterly Rock to finally be its Lord._

_She was disappointed to say the least. She considered there was not great honor on being called a ‘Lord’ since the only requirement to be one is to be born under the right family but it takes a lot of effort, skill and discipline -not counting the sense of honor the kingslayer lacked- to be called ‘Ser’. She would rather be called ‘Ser’ than ‘Lady’. She would rather be called ‘Ser’ than ‘Sister’. It was such a shame she was born a woman._

_Just before leaving the Red Keep Galladon came to say his goodbyes, hugged her fiercely while putting something on her travel bag so no one would notice and wished her a good trip. It wouldn’t be until they had exited the city she indulged herself to take a peek at her bag. The object was wrapped in a cloth, but the shape was enough to know what it was. Of all the things his brother could have given her for the trip he had given her just what she wanted. She smiled and continued her journey._

o0o

Three days had passed since then. They traveled slow since their job as silent sisters required them to walk around the cart of the body, sometimes accompanied of grief hymns. The cart was just behind the first group of soldiers so the kingslayer was ahead of her but not so far away she couldn’t study him. He was tall -as tall as her that much she recalled- and even if she had only seen him in armor she could tell he was muscular. His hair was larger than hers, waves of silky gold strands were grazing his shoulders. His face was carved by the gods themselves, piercing green eyes, high cheekbones, soft lips that are always curled into a sharp smile -a simile that never reaches his eyes- and the most perfect nose she has ever seen.

Mounted on his horse with his perfectly polished Lannister armor he looks every bit the valiant knight all songs sing about but _not all that glow is gold_ , Brienne recalls from the seven-pointed star book. He might look like every bit the hero of a story should, but she very well knows he is a despicable man.

He is the kingslayer, the one that broke his vow to protect his king. It had been more than thirteen years ago, she was barely a child, but the disgrace of failing his king will forever follow the young Lion.  Aerys Targaryen, the mad king, was loved very little but still he did not deserve to die without honor, stabbed on the back by his own trusted kingsguard.

After a few days traveling all day just stopping to rest, water the horses and camping at night, the mourning party was making good time on the road when Lord Jaime suggested to set camp earlier than usual near a clearing for the day and resume the trip on the morrow to hunt, collect water, and rest.

She wanted to help hunting or even fishing something but the sisters were set to collect herbs that were to be put on the dead, fruits and vegetables that might help to make a decent supper, not that they lacked provisions. Hunting and fishing wasn't for women the less for a silent sister.

She should have been born a boy, she knew.

Brienne was starting to truly ache for home, his father, Arianne and even her sister Alyssane, who was often scolding her for not being a proper lady. She would send a raven to Tarth as soon as they arrived at Casterly Rock if Septa Laena allowed her.

After setting the camp Brienne left the opposite way of her sisters to find solace. It was contradictory, they couldn't even speak a word to each other but she had grown sick of their company already.

She walked in the forest for a while when she noticed a figure near the river bank. The kingslayer was practicing alone, with his sword in hand he aimed to the air hacking and slashing as if his enemy was one of flesh. His back was turned to her, so Brienne made to hide behind a three to watch him practice. His movements were elegant and fluid that she found difficult to take away her eyes off him. He stopped abruptly.

“I know you are there, no need to hide” the kingslayer turned around over her direction. She had been caught. It was no use to stay hidden, so she stepped out of her hiding spot wearing a confused frown that clearly meant _'how could you possibly know'_ while showing herself to him.

“you are almost as big as the three you were hiding sister” he mocked “come here and show me what you are capable of” he made to hand her his sword. She scowled and stood her ground not moving an inch “do you really think I’m stupid enough to not notice it was you and not your brother I fought against with?” she finally reacted, eyes now wide. She was afraid.

He knew.

_Jaime_

Jaime got closer to her “you two are alike I grant you that, but even at the faint light of the moon I could notice your eyes are bluer than his, a lot more of freckles and you've got a wider mouth too". He said while removing the veil covering the lower part of her face. Panicking, she slapped his hand away and put the veil back into place, a concerned look never leaving her eyes. Jaime chuckled “Don’t worry _sister,_ I keep secrets very well. Besides, I don’t really think anyone else on court suspected you two exchanged places. Except maybe for your height and ugliness, you both are unremarkable. You are from a small unimportant island from the Stormlands, I’m certain no one cared to check on you two” the giant sister frowned at his statement, she was offended. Good. “Now, Take the sword and don’t make me lose more time” he prompted her.

She, still frowning, did not move but to turn around and walk away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is very appreciated.


	6. The Goldroad II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime and Brienne have another encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back guys! so sorry for the delay, i haven’t had much time for me lately and to be truthful I've been kinda depressed (like in the past year). Responsibilities overwhelm me at the moment (adulthood is a bitch). It's 1:30 am so this probably has lots of mistakes and the first part of this chapter maybe has no sense whatsoever, better go to sleep. chao

_Jaime_

Jaime does not believe on the seven. If the gods existed there would be no suffering on this world. If they existed, justice would be delivered to the innocent. If there was indeed a god -or gods- none would have allowed men like Aerys to even exist. But he knows better. Life is unfair. Mad and selfish people often sit at the iron throne. Perverted men live in between riches on the capital while innocent children starve to dead all over flea bottom.

He knows he is fortunate enough to be born under a rich house but sometimes he would have preferred to be born as a commoner so he wouldn’t be expected to carry his entire family legacy over his -already tired- shoulders. He knew he was no saint but considered his wrongs were not too big to carry such weight by himself. He had saved an entire city from the flames but Instead of praise and gratitude for his actions he is traveling to Casterly Rock to face his sentence.

The night before he left the red keep he ran into Lord Galladon on the practice yard again but now he knew better.

It was _her_.

Jaime thought unfair this lumbering creature could deceive everyone to make them believe she was a man with her mannish figure but he could not avoid his duties as his father’s heir, the one to carry on the Lannister name. That is why ever since he discovered her scam he decided he would beat sense on this ugly lumbering beast of a woman.

The first days of traveling he did not even paid her any attention but he could listen to the sister’s hymns and what he thought was her voice. After a few days of traveling he got restless and prompted the sisters to get on the carts instead of walking in order to move faster, they reluctantly agreed.

The day had come to take a break since they had been pressing their way ahead. He wanted to arrive as soon as possible as Casterly Rock, not that he was expectant to take on his role as a Lord, but mostly to see his dear brother again, the only thing he was looking forward to. He guessed this halt was a good time to have a little amusement with the lady. He had seen her wandering the forest alone when settling their camp so he went to a nearby clearing to practice, she would find him and he would have his fun. But she was too proud. The ugly beast had the audacity to ignore him.

No one ignores a Lannister.  

The next evening was his turn to follow her. She was practicing with a fallen branch hacking and slashing at the air. Such comical sight. He chuckled and she froze “Don’t worry my lady, I won’t say anything to your septa” he assured her while approaching her. She made to leave but he took her by the arm “don’t be stubborn and practice with me” he said in a commanding voice but she tugged her arm free and stood her ground, she was not amused “I very well remember you being more talkative than this at King’s Landing. Don’t pretend the shadowcat ate your tongue now” she frowned at him but remained stubbornly silent.

“You do not want to practice? That’s quite alright” he made to retreat but suddenly he turned around again swinging his sword at her. She, by mere reflex, blocked it with her stick. Even though he moderated the force of his attack and had used the flat side of his blade, it was enough to break the stick in half, leaving her defenseless “what’s the matter my lady? Don’t you like to play the valiant knight?” he mocked her “Let us pretend I’m the villain and you the hero. Come, take another branch and fight me. He threw away his sword and picked up a nearby branch, tested its strength and weight swinging it a few times. She was still stunned “If you don’t attack, then I will” he charged against her again, the branch alive in his hands as if it were a refined sword. She barely dodged him and picked up another branch just in time to stop his next attack. No sooner she blocked his blow when the next was upon her. The branches kissed and sprang apart and kissed again it was admirable they hadn’t broken yet with the force of their blows.

High, low, overhand, he continued slashing but she stubbornly kept blocking his bashes. He realized she was almost as strong as him but she had the advantage of youth. The girl had yet to break a sweat. He decided to change his strategy then “I’m surprised by your strength” he said “Although I shouldn’t be. After all you are a great cow of a woman” she winced at his remark, he smirked “do all the women in Tarth are half-giant beasts like you?” She was getting distracted just as he expected, he continued hacking and slashing “what is the matter? Already tired of our dance my lady?” She stubbornly ignored him and kept blocking but he striked again.

“Don’t you miss talking? You can talk to me. By my honor, I promise I won’t tell anyone” she snorted at his statement and it angered him. How dared her? He could see it on her eyes, that was the same look people has given him for fifteen years. _kingslayer, oath breaker, man without honor._

His anger made him lose his focus, he had to finish this as soon as possible. He saw an entrance and landed a blow at her left side then kicked her on the legs. She fell and rolled a few feet over mud and dry foliage. When she tried to stand up he already had his wooden weapon at her throat, “yield” she was shocked but nodded nevertheless “not half bad, for a wench” he admitted.

Her hood had fell long ago freeing her short straw-like hair and the veil of her face had just fell with the commotion. He now had a chance to examine her face since almost all their encounters had been at night and yesterday she had covered her face almost immediately.

Her features were broad and rough for a woman, no wonder she could easily pass for her brother. Her mouth was too wide for her face and her lips were too plump, her nose had been broken probably more than once and her face was covered all in freckles making a fascinating contrast with her pale skin now flushed for their training. _The only beautiful feature she possesses is a pair of large blue eyes_ he thinks. “You are much uglier at daylight” he finally declares. It wasn’t meant as an offence but more like a mere statement. She scowled, angry glowing sapphires glaring daggers back at him, mouth set in a hard line.

He threw his weapon and offered her his hand but she refused him standing up by her own. “You are a stubborn one” she just frowned deeper at him “thank you for this dance, my lady” he took her hand in his own and kissed it in mockery before she could react. He left her behind.

Later on, he saw the beast at the camp. She was still in disarray, tunic stained and a septa scolding at her. After that beating he resolved to leave her alone for a few days. His mood had improved ever since their practice and was willing to spend time with his own soldiers, most of them were still easy to impress green boys that asked him for stories about Ser Arthur Dayne, the sword of the morning, He gladly obliged.

_Brienne_

The kingslayer had beaten and mocked her openly. He had called her ugly and a beast right on her face and now she was being reprimanded by septa Laena because of him. The book of the seven-pointed star urged devoted people toward forgiveness but Brienne decided the kingslayer was unworthy of such.  

That night, lying on her cot, she recalled their encounter. He had prompted her to speak. She did want to tell him some words, if she could she would call him a spiteful and annoying man. she would call him dishonorable and foul. But she was just a silent sister. Despite being angry at him she was angrier at herself, she had fallen for his trick and let his words affect her. She vowed it wouldn’t happen a second time if he dared to challenge her again. She moved to lie on her left side and winced, her ribs were still tender. She would bore bruises where some of his blows had landed for a few days.

OoOoO

It had passed four days since her las encounter with the Kinslayer and until now they had ignored each other. She was glad for it. She was also glad the Gold road was near so many rivers. As an islander she was used to swimming on the sea almost daily. She was not able to take a real swim on King’s Landing because they lacked water and at the sept she was allowed just a bucket of water to clean herself everyday but that was about it.

Making sure she was far away from the campsite she stripped naked and dived onto the river. The sun was still setting so she had enough time to take a swim and go back without worrying about losing her way back. She emerged from the water and a voice behind her greeted her

“can I join you sister?” She turned around to see the kingslayer. He was coming towards her and as naked as his nameday. She shrieked and proceeded to submerge herself on the river up to the neck.

“no objections? I hope you don’t mind the company then”

The male body is not a mystery for her, as a silent sister she has cleaned dead bodies both male and female. She knows the difference. She also recalls swimming with his brother and some other boys when she was a young girl back in Tarth.

She ought to advert her eyes but found it futile. She was curious, one thing was a naked boy another very different a naked man and the kingslayer moved with so much grace and confidence it was almost hypnotic.

He had a face carved by the gods themselves but his body was the warrior’s. His built was muscular and statuesque. Broad shoulders, lean waist, dark-blond hair on his chest and down below his manhood, his tights were strong and his calves solid. His skin was tanned, his lustrous wavy hair cascades over his shoulders. His clean shaved face made him look as if he were the warrior personified. He looked half a god. Brienne chastised herself for such heretic thought.

“have something to say?” he snickered. She adverted her eyes and could feel her face was on fire, she only hopped he didn’t notice it.

She retreated near a rock and even though he couldn’t see her breasts she crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

He lowered himself on the water and exhaled in relief “have you finally resolve to talk to me? No one is here. come on sister, talk to me”

She just gave him a look of disdain

“When you pretended to be your brother I clearly remember you speaking but now you’re taking your vows of silence to heart? What a hypocrite. Very well then, have it your way” he liked a good challenge “You might as well be sworn to never speak but nothing forbids you to listen to me, _wench”_

There goes that word again, _I’m a silent sister not a wench_ , she wanted to remind him

She thought he would grow bored of her and leave but instead he started to sing _“six maids in a pool”_ , the lecherous version

_They're of noble blood_

_One Fool, but great, on the shore_

_He'd seen that flower full of love_

_"She'll be in my garden" - he'd sworn_

_Her name was Jonquil, pure child_

_Tough father had made a deal:_

_By ugly, full of money lord_

_That beauty will have to be killed, oh_

_Oh oh, glorious Florian-_

_He was the first who had opened her thighs_

_Oh oh, glorious Florian,_

_Run from thousands of lies_

_To the happiest day of their lives_

_He was a knight of famous name,_

_The owner of Furious sword_

_But now he's fool with motley shield_

_Because of cutting word._

_Despite of misery and fate,_

_Pride's what he feels for real_

_He'll care about vows he gave_

_With blade of Valyrian steel, oh_

_Oh oh, glorious Florian-_

_He was the first who had opened her thighs_

_Oh oh, glorious Florian,_

_Run from thousands of lies_

_To the happiest day of their lives_

_Oh oh, glorious Florian-_

_He was the first who had stolen her bud,_

_Kissing her petals &_

_Whispering swears,_

_Green grass had coloured with blood._

_Oh oh, glorious Florian-_

_He was the first who had opened her thighs_

_Oh oh, glorious Florian,_

_Run from thousands of lies_

_To the happiest day of their lives_

…

“Do join me sister, sing with me” he dared her with a smile on his face “do you know what the song means?” of course she knew but she chose to ignore him

“I could be your Florian and open your tights too, if you want it” he offered in mockery and she glared at him. she was furious and started to rise above the water “Are you sure you want to leave now? if you do it you could risk me seeing you in all your naked glory, my lady” he smiled wickedly. She dared not to display her nakedness in front of such hateful man so she lowered herself into the water again.

The Kingslayer then proceeded to sing " _Her Little Flower"_ another vulgar song and then _“The Dornishman’s wife”_ each song accompanied with an explanation -with great detail- of what they meant.

She was seriously thinking on just getting out of the water, modesty be damned. Fortunately for her he stopped talking and an awkward silence fell between the two of them.

It did not last, though.

_Jaime_

“It’s past time I take my leave” he informed her, she was the most stubborn woman he had come across and this game was getting boring. Before leaving he had to give her a final blow though “Such a shame you are to become a silent sister, you hold such lovely conversations. Let me thank you ahead of time for serving us all sister, for taking care of us in our deaths wiping our arses and stripping us out of our rotten bowels. We are grateful for having silent sisters like you to take care of us in our final rest” he sighed and made to go but just when he was about to leave the creek, she spoke

“We’ve served the stranger for as long as the Andals walked on this continent” she said irritated

He was shocked she was willingly talking to him but decided to follow the conversation “Is it _‘we’_ already? Have you taken your vows, then?” he questioned

“Soon enough” she tilted her chin up in defiance

 _You are an utter fool_ “I’m sure it will be thrilling to serve in such an elite group. And if not…it’s only for life” he mocked her

“And what do you know about duty, Kingslayer?”

“more than you do wench” he spat at her

“I know duty and honor are bound together and sinners like you can’t keep one nor the other”

He laughed bitterly “You talk about duty and honor as if you were a bloody Tully. Women don’t join the silent sisters out of duty, they join the faith to survive. The same goes for those who join the night’s watch” He got closer to her, a feline grin on his mouth “I’ve met religious people that frequent whores, I’ve heard them curse and speak profanities, I recently met a silent sister that speaks!” she winced at that “but I don’t blame you child, I provoked you. You think your dear sisters are all honorable?” he kept questioning her “I do wonder what does your dear sister, the one with the hazel eyes, thinks about duty and honor. She’s been sneaking in one of my men’s tents from night one and I don’t think they’re precisely praying”

“You lie” she protested

“Don’t be a stupid child. Some women join the faith to avoid poverty and to have at least a meal a day, or maybe because they are widows that can’t remarry. Duty has nothing to do with it. They run from something, what are you running from my lady?” he questioned while looking her on the eyes his green ones boring into her soul “No, Is not that. I met your brother at the capital and I know Tarth isn’t a rich house, so I guess you don’t have much on your pockets but you're not poor either” he laughed at her “oh, i see. You are here because you are ugly, you are freakishly tall. To say you have a homely face would be too kind. You have no teats, and you are too dull to hold a proper conversation. Nobody would wed you. That's it”  he got even closer and whispered “You are not running, you are giving up. Pry tell me if I’m mistaken”

The punch caught him off guard.

When he recovered she was already out of the water and collecting her clothes, her naked back in display “Don’t pretend you can read me. You know nothing about me, _Ser_ ” she spat his title as if it were a curse and left.

_Brienne_

She can’t sleep so she decides to take a place on a log near the fire, the camp is quiet, most of them already sleeping. There’s silence until she hears steps. She sees sister Teena, the one the kingslayer warned her about, sneaking to a soldier’s tent, just as he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some dialogues from the books, the scene where Jaime thanks Brienne about joining the faith is based on the scene Jaime and Jon snow share on the tv show before he leaves for castle black. The song lyrics are not cannon, i found them on a website i cant recall right now.  
> FEEDBACK IS VERY APPRECIATED!! :)


	7. The Goldroad III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I hope this update won't disappoint you. This was originally meant to be twice as long but i still need to edit a lot of the second part, so im splitting it in two. I apologize in advance since i suck at describing fights.  
> Warning, mentions of violence ahead.

_Jaime_

They were three days away from Casterly Rock, ‘ _at last!’_ he thought. He wanted nothing more than ride his horse at full gallop so he could finally see and hug his little brother. It had been a couple of years since they last saw each other and even if they often exchanged letters, it was simply not the same. He couldn’t though, it was his duty to escort his uncle’s remains himself. Nonetheless he ordered some of his soldiers to ride ahead and inform his cousin, the castellan, the party was finally arriving so he could be properly prepared to receive them. He was left with twenty Lannister soldiers, five silent sisters, one septa and two carts.

It was not yet dawn when he was woken up by one of his soldiers to inform him some of the horses had somehow loosened their reins and escaped. He immediately ordered five soldiers to track and bring them back while the others were put on the task of packing the camp. The party would continue their journey and once his men find the horses they would catch up with them.

When they took the road the sun was already up and the morning was pleasant enough. The landscape was getting familiar; they were still surrounded by forest but the foliage was starting to change and he could swear he already smelled the salty breeze of the sunset sea. They marched on a steady pace _‘Two days from now, little brother’_ he thought. When he noticed the forest was quiet, he frowned, ‘ _too quiet_ ’ Not a single bird was singing “halt” he ordered while listening to his surroundings carefully. There was something wrong, they were passing through a narrow part on the road with an irregular terrain. Besides there were thick bushes and big rocks on the sides “retreat” he shouted to his companions but it was too late. An arrow pierced the skull of one of his soldiers that had wrongly chosen to leave his head unprotected; His lifeless body fell from the horse. Jaime and the others unsheathed their weapons and a soldier readied his bow pointing at the place where the arrow had come. Soon enough their attackers emerged from the bushes, they were at least thirty men. Three bowmen were pointing at them from the branches of a tree. They had been ambushed by a band of outlaws and he had been too distracted to realize they were heading into a trap.

“Stop there. We will take your horses, provisions and weapons” one of them announced. The soldiers all looked at their commander for orders. He opted to stay still, though.

“That one is the kingslayer himself” one of them said pointing at him

“How do you know it?” the first man questioned his companion

“I saw him once in an inn some years ago, but he was wearing white then”

“Kingslayer or not he obviously a fancy Lord, just look a’ his armor,” a third man said

“That true? Are you the Kingslayer?” the three bowmen on the tree pointed their weapons at him likely to coax him to tell the truth which he did “Aye, on the flesh” Jaime grinned

“Bloody Hells, Lord Tywin’s first born son!” a man muttered with concern “we should just go before we get in trouble” a lad suggested and some supported him “shut up, you fools!” the man that looked like the leader snarled at his comrades “forgive me, m’lord” he bowed at Jaime in mock “I did not recognize you. You are far from King’s Landing”

“Not need to ask for forgiveness” he answered unconcerned “Listen to your friends and leave now”

“You may excuse me m’lord but that is simply not possible”

“Lem, He’ll hunt us down the moment we leave” a man whispered to him “He’ll come back for us, unless….unless we kill them all”

“And waste the opportunity to get a ransom? Don’t be stupid! I bet the old lion will give us a great deal of gold in exchange for his heir” Jaime could hear their conversation clearly

“But…”

“If you do that you’ll be dead before you get the chance to enjoy my father’s gold” Jaime interrupted them “Leave your weapons, turn around and go away. I promise to be merciful and I’ll forget this even happened”  

“Forgive me m’lord if I don’t believe you. Besides everyone knows Lannisters are not merciful. I remember ‘ _the rains of Castamere’_ well enough.  I’ll take the risk. Take their horses, provisions, weapons… and him” the leader ordered to his men while pointing at Jaime with his sword

“What do we do with the others?” another man asked

“Kill them all”  

They outnumbered them, he only had fourteen soldiers, and half of them were green boys. He knew they could take them down easily but two things made him hesitate. One, the three bowmen pointing their weapons at him; He doubted they would dare shoot at him, he was better alive, but they had proven they were fast and with a good aim. His second impediment were the women. Unprotected as they were it was just matter of time the outlaws would try something with them. This was proving to be challenging but, once again, he loved a challenge.

He chanced a glance at his soldiers. Their weapons were unsheathed and they had a firm grip on their reins, their faces told him they were ready to fight. even if they outnumbered them they still had advantage. He threw himself off his horse to confuse the bowmen and his soldier took advantage of the distraction to kill one of them. At once the soldiers started to attack and arrows rained from both sides, luckily his own soldier had also good aim and dispatched the second and third bowmen easily enough.

_Brienne_

She was frozen in place. Everything was happening so fast she barely had time to react. If it weren’t for one of her sisters that pulled her aside she would still be standing in the middle of chaos. She tried to reassure herself this was going to end soon; The kingslayer and his men had armors, horses and proper swords, contrary to the bandits. And still in the middle of chaos she couldn’t help but admire his swordsmanship; with a single blow he managed to kill his first foe in time to stop a blow from a second attacker. One of her sisters screamed making her refocus her attention in time to see a man, with an unsheathed rusty sword, coming closer to them but a Lannister soldier planted himself between them and the outlaw. They battled for a while but the man was stronger than the soldier and pierced him with his sword right through the neck. The soldier fell motionless at their feet. Her sisters were crying, some were praying, the man put his attention on them again and started to walk towards them.  She quickly took the sword of the fallen soldier and readied herself.

Brienne has never been face to face to death like in that precise moment. Neither has she ever been in a real battle before, but her life and the life of her sisters now depend on her. Her hands are sweaty and she starts shaking with trepidation. The man knows it and walks confidently at her, a smile visible on his lips. It takes a single blow from the outlaw to disarm her but she refuses to give up so easily. She is bigger than him so she goes to her full height and steadies her feet in hopes of intimidating her opponent. The man doubts his strength just for a second but that’s enough for Brienne. She sees the chance and throws her full body to him, they both fall and roll on the ground. The man’s sword lands some feet away she manages to punch him a couple of times but now he’s on top of her and has his hands around her neck.

He is choking her. She starts to kick but her legs simply won’t reach him. She desperately tries to grab a rock, something but the ground she’s forced to lie on is just dirt. He’s stronger than she thought and if she doesn’t do something quick he’ll kill her. ‘ _Father, Arianne, Alysanne, Galladon…Galladon!’_  She remembers her brother’s gift and moves her leg further up to reach for the dagger she had safely tied on her right ankle. With a swift movement she unsheathes her weapon and stabs him right on the neck. Red hot liquid pours from his wound bathing her. The man’s eyes widen in shock and his face starts to contort in pain and anguish, he releases her to hold his own neck but the blood leaves his body too fast, finally his eyes roll up and crashes on top of her. Still in shock Brienne throws his lifeless body off her and picks up the sword, she can feel her own blood and heart beating so fast she is afraid it will bust out of her chest, her ears buzz and her breathing is ragged either from almost being choked to death or the shudder of what she just did.

There is no time to reflect on the fact she’s just killed a man when another comes to attack her but this time she’s ready.

_Jaime_

The beast managed to not get killed and now she’s facing her next foe with sword in hand, like a bloody fool, instead of running for her life, ‘ _there’s a pig-stubborn bitch_ ’ he thinks ‘ _But brave. Yes_ ’. Confident now that he’s seen she can defend herself and her kind he starts focusing on his own soldiers. two of them are battling against five, they’re cornered and barely holding so he makes his way to them to help.

Slash. Block. Slash. Low. High. Duck. Slash. Block.

By the time he reaches them one of his men is already dead. Still he keeps slashing and hacking. He notices the bandits are decreasing but so are his men.

On the corner of his eye he sees her again. The wench is facing a man but two more are approaching her from her sides. As stubborn as she is, it’s not possible she will prevail against three at the same time so he orders his soldier to go help her. The man hesitates to leave him alone against the outlaws but the look in his commander’s face leaves no room for protests. The soldier hurries to assist Brienne and Jaime is left alone with four outlaws.

They all attack at the same time but his reputation as the best swordsman on the seven kingdoms is enough to make them cautious on their approach. He kills one and keeps at bay the other three. He hears a thud and then a woman’s groan he turns around without thinking to see if the wench is hurt. His soldier is dead and the wench is on the ground two more outlaws approaching her. He tries to make his way to help her but it’s blocked by his own foes, thankfully the woman is helped by a soldier -the same that killed the bowmen- Jaime makes a mental note to reward him when they arrive to Casterly Rock.

He was too distracted to block an attack and feels a sharp pain on his right forearm. He had just received a cut and is now bleeding, thankfully his hemorrhage looks like nothing to worry about. The sword shakes on his hand but he refuses to drop it. With great effort he swings it and finishes the man that wounded him, there are still two of them so he changes his sword to his left hand. He has never trained his left but the pain makes his right useless at the moment. He’s being overpowered by the two men, their attacks are getting more difficult to block to the point one of them makes him go down on a knee.

 _‘What a comical way to die. Father won’t be pleased’_ he thought while readying himself for the blow. Indeed the next blow would have been fatal if it wasn’t for the fact the wench blocked it. She was between him and the outlaws; the swords clashed and she hold them back until a soldier came to help her. Between the two of them finished the outlaws giving Jaime time to recover.

The remaining bandits were coming to attack them, but just in time the five soldiers that went off looking for the horses arrived to help them. The outlaws must have thought more Lannister soldiers were coming because they all started to flee.

 Sure that they’re finally gone Jaime rips a piece of cloth from his cloak and bandages his arm while surveying the scene. Six of his soldiers lie dead, and most of the living ones are wounded, including him. Fortunately the women were unharmed. Still he approaches the wench, whose tunic is drenched in blood, thankfully not hers. She is still in shock, her breathing is hard and she holds her weapon firmly on her hands. Jaime grabs her by the shoulder and as calm as possible he tells her it is over while disarming her.

Jaime lets his men rest for a few minutes before he finally says “We need to move before it gets dark. Gather the horses and help me put our dead on the cart” he orders and starts carrying the bodies with the help of his soldiers. Part of the horses had fled with the commotion so he asks some of his soldiers to ride with a woman each to move faster since the carts were already full.

“My lord, we can’t leave yet. Please order your soldiers to dig a hole, we need to bury these men’s corpses.” the septa says. Some of his men start to unpack shovels for the task when Jaime tells them not to.

“They don’t deserve to be buried Septa. They deserve to be left to rot. They deserve to be food for the crows for even attempting to put a finger in Lord Tywin’s son” he says while mounting his own horse

“But my lord, the seven-pointed…”

“The seven-pointed-star says _‘let the dead bury the dead’_ Stranger’s books, chapter ten, verse five”

“Yes. But the verse is not meant to be taken literally” Jaime knows this but he is not in the mood to argue about theology with the woman at the moment “You do know they would have killed us all, right?

“I well know that my Lord, but the Gods were protecting us. We must be…”

“The gods did not protect you, my soldiers did” he corrects her

“It’s still our duty to…”

“Get on a horse septa!” exasperated, he barks at her “that is if you don’t want to walk the rest of the way to Casterly Rock” at his threat the woman finally seems to concede when the wench takes a shovel from one of his soldiers and proceeds to dig on the side of the road. Her sisters look at her in shock but at the end follow her example. His men don’t move afraid to make him anger.

Annoyed by their foolishness, Jaime dismounts and joins them in the task of digging, his men follow him suit. _‘Stupid, stubborn wench’_ he thinks.

His right arm protesting all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a comment! (pretty please!) :D  
> (Por cierto chicos de España, sabrán cuando se grabará GoT en Sevilla este año? mi hermana va de vacaciones a España y me gustaría saber si las fechas de grabación coinciden con su viaje a ver si le toca ver a algún actor por allá :) de antemano, gracias por la info!)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope to update frecuently but i'm lazy so please dont get your hopes up! i tend to leave things half-way done because of various reasons. But do not fear, i already wrote 60 pages of this story and i'll try to edit it as soon as possible and if i get too overwelmed i'll just post it as little bits of the whole story so you can fill the missing pieces.  
> Feedback is love


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